The Sorceress's Knight
by The Wandering Writer
Summary: Seifer leaves Esthar, where he retreated after the war, to meet Cid, and discovers a secret that changes everything... I'm bad at summaries! Reviews are welcome, whether they be compliments or criticism!
1. A Reunion of Sorts

Chapter 1-A Reunion of Sorts

The world seemed to be one of perpetual peace at that time.

Galbadia, with a new President, Isaac Young, settled its disputes with other nations and made attempts to make amends. It had become a tourist attraction lately and attracted people the world over with flashy neon signs and sleek, brightly painted cars.

Trabia, the only nation that had not fully recovered from the Sorceress War, was still happy. You could see groups huddling together near fires, telling far-fetched stories to one another, while listeners gasped in amazement, in the white snowy lands coated with peace. During the day, smiles remained on people's faces as they worked hard in the gray wreckage of snow-topped Trabia Garden.

Balamb Garden was very peaceful, and no government missions were coming in, as wars had all ended in the chaos following the Time Compression. The only missions were those from civilians needing protection from monsters and such. Cid traveled to the orphanage and gave up his position as Headmaster to Squall. Some people never forgave Cid for running away, but many remained faithful to him. All of the people in Garden, though, welcomed Squall as the next Headmaster, along with the appointed Advisor and Garden Master, Quistis, Chief of SeeD operations Zell, physician Rinoa who took over after Dr. Kadowaki retired of old age, and Garden Festival Planner, Selphie. Fujin and Raijin set off to search for Seifer, who had vanished after the war, and Irvine refused to take a position, saying, "I'm only in it for the ladies," as he walked off with Selphie. Xu worked with Quistis to guide Squall as Advisor, and, all in all, everyone was happy.

In the haste to recover from the Time Compression, all nations had to work together and forget conflicts. A few skirmishes broke out in the midst of the confusion, but there were very few casualties. In the end, Dr. Odine harnessed the Sorceress Ultimecia's power, which had been transferred to Rinoa through Edea, to control Ellone and use the same methods that spawned the Time Compression to end it. Ellone was slightly shaky, yet remained strong and let the process take place. It is a frightening thing, losing yourself, even if for a short time, but she persevered. The Time Compression was defeated, and so,everyone went to his or her original times through the result that Dr. Odine predicted.

Seifer sat in an empty room in Esthar, reflecting on the past. He looked at the red crosses on his cloak with disgust. Everything he had done, everything… it was all for a false dream. Edea and Adel were servants of Ultimecia, the one who was responsible for killing thousands and almost destroying everything… He was an outcast, a traitor…

("Damn… What have I done? How will I return to the life I once lived? All this was for my greatest dream, but in the end it was for nothing.")

He had contemplated like that for many days, knowing that no one would trust him. Perhaps he could return to Garden, but... what would become of him there, who would befriend him? All that Seifer could do was sit and wait for something to happen.

Suddenly, that something happened. A strange man burst into the house, closely followed by another unsettlingly familiar man. He was wearing a black leather vest with a white fur collar over a white T-shirt, black pants with three jauntily angled belts, black boots, and a necklace laden with a lion. He wielded a gunblade and used it expertly, shooting the man down where he stood. His face was intense, brown eyes shining with a mysterious red glint. The thing that scared Seifer the most and confirmed his fears was the scar across his forehead… That scar, which he had given him two years ago… It was Squall!

"Y-You! But… How?!"

Squall turned around bemusedly, and then stopped suddenly, looking him over, making sure that this was really him. "You're…Seifer? What're you doing here?"

Seifer sank down in his chair. "Dammit, I didn't know what I was doing… I just wanted to follow my dream, but… Where'd it all go wrong? Why'd everything turn out like this?"

Squall was surprised to hear something like this from Seifer. "Everything that happens to you is a result of your actions. If you want everything to turn out better, do things differently. That's all."

Seifer was enraged at those remarks, yet still reacted coolly to them. "Hehehe…You haven't changed a bit. Squall, I think you're the one who needs to do things differently. Always putting others down while pretending that you're the only justice…"

"What?" asked Squall, humored by Seifer's reaction. "That's how everyone in this world thinks. They believe that their opinions matter more than others' matter, and, well, that they are right and others are wrong. That's just the way people think."

"You're delusional…" remarked Seifer. Squall's remarks were full of hot air, Seifer believed. They were slightly true, yet Squall always had a depressing view like that. It was his terrible past that made him like that, losing his sister, always feeling separate from others…

Squall muttered passively, "Whatever…"

Squall walked toward the man lying on the ground, wearing black clothing and a strange silver ring.

"Solomon's ring... Glad we have it back," Squall muttered to himself as he started to walk away. Seifer was starting to feel annoyed with the way he was being ignored when Squall turned around and said, "By the way, Cid said before he left Garden, 'If you ever see Seifer, tell him I'm waiting for him at the orphanage.'"

"Wait a minute... Cid left Garden? Who's the Headmaster now? It'd better not be Trepe..."

Squall laughed. "No, Quistis isn't the Headmaster. It's even worse."

Seifer laughed impassively. "You always were the favorite, the way you just got your jobs done and never questioned orders...I was different. I made my plans in the best interest of SeeD, but here I am now, an outcast.

"Hehe… You go on with whatever you were doing, and I'll meet Cid later…" Seifer said.

Squall walked out of the house, looked around, and ran off after some mission. Seifer kept on staring out of the room, lost in thought about what Cid might need him for. Everything had changed… Everything. He finally got up, walking out of the house to get a ride by airplane to the old orphanage…

Esthar had undergone lots of change since the battle. Technology had been improved, and a "golden age" had begun. The streets seemed to be paved of turquoise, and everyone walked around with a busy, yet satisfied look on their faces. Seifer walked to a colossal building from which tremendous airplanes flew in and out constantly. He stepped in, once again lost in thought with daydreams of something amazing happening, when he walked into someone. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" a middle-aged lady said. Seifer started to snap at her, thought better of it, and continued to go on. He once again stared at the glory of the Esthar National Airport. The building's splendor often left people speechless. Thick blue glass covered the walls and the floors were made of zealous blue tile. Gold rails lined aisles into the airport and toward the airplanes. The sheer variety of people was astounding as well. People of all races walked to and from the place, all basking in the glory of the city, built on bridges above the barren earth of Esthar. A security guard stopped Seifer, speaking in a stern voice, "It costs 7500 Gil to board this plane. We aren't offering first-class seats on this plane; it's all coach."

Seifer said, "Aah, I forgot. I don't have a single Gil on me. I'll find a way out of this place, still."

The guard spoke gruffly, "Well then, move on! This isn't a show here!"

Seifer stepped away slowly, in a fashion as if he was doing the guard a favor. Truth be told, when Seifer referred to Squall as "acting like you're the only justice," he could have easily been referring to himself. Seifer leaned back against a wall, arms crossed, head down, plotting a daring rush into a plane, when he heard a distant shout.

"Yo, Seifer! Ya hear me? It's Raijin, ya know? Fujin's wit' me! C'mere!"

Seifer looked toward the source of the noise and saw Fujin and Raijin. Fujin was staring at Seifer passively, like usual, with one hand on her hip, while enthusiastic Raijin was hopping and waving. Fujin kicked Raijin in his shin and he dropped down, cringing. Seifer burst out laughing and walked toward the odd pair.

"SEIFER. YOU LEFT, WHY?"

"I just had some… Things I needed to sort out. I think I'm ready to get out of here, though."

Raijin sat down, depressed, and said, "We don't have any cash, ya know? An' by the looks of it, you don' either."

Seifer just stood, with a grin floating around his face. Raijin knew what that meant, and said quickly, "Ya got a plan!"

Seifer replied, "Yep. We can't afford a plane trip, so we'll just have to _negotiate_… Fujin, you'll pretend that you're hurt, and I'll get the guard. When he comes, you trip him with your staff, Raijin, and we all go onto the plane. I'll take it from there. Now, the next flight from this section leaves this evening at five o'clock, and now it's… Quarter 'til noon, so we still have some time. How about catching up at a café here? I know the owner, so it'll be free."

They walked quickly to a shabby looking café, dogged by Raijin yelling, "C'mon, guys, I'm starvin', ya know?!" as Fujin kicked him viciously. Soon enough they were there, though the few minutes of walking seemed like hours with the perpetual bantering. They reached it, and noticed that it was wooden, unlike most of the city. They walked in and were quickly intercepted by a shady looking man with dark sunglasses and a black coat.

"Ah, Seifer…" the man said with a snaky voice, "I'm glad it's you." He suddenly diverted his attention to Fujin and Raijin. "Who are they?"

"They're the old friends I told you about. Now, what did you want me for?"

"Well…"

And there's CHAPTER 1! I hope you enjoyed this and I hope to have the next chapter up within the next week! Review please, criticism and compliments are welcome!


	2. The Disciplinary Comittee

I've been WAY too serious with fanfiction lately... I've decided to add a little humor, just a dash, even though I may not be too good with it. Just trying to make it more FFVIII-ish.

Oh, um... I Don't Own Final Fantasy 8 Or Squaresoft Or Square Enix Or Any Of Its Trademarks, Dammit!

Chapter 2- The Disciplinary Comittee

"What is it???" asked Seifer, much like the common disciplinary-comittee Seifer of Balamb Garden. He was always nosy about anything that didn't appear to be his business.

"You see..." started the shady man, building the suspense, about to let out a ground-breaking secret, "I'm gonna have to... Close down the cafe! There! I said it!" the man exclaimed amidst sobs. A/N: This was for lack of anything better and for want of something INCREDIBLY STUPID.

"Heh," Seifer muttered, "it's just a store. It's not like it's something important."

"But it is!!! You don't understand! This store was my life, my dream!!!" the man said, sobbing heavily now. Seifer raised an arm up, beckoning Fujin and Raijin, and walked off.

"So much for that," Seifer said. Raijin looked toward Seifer. "You know, you were bein' pretty tough on him. Maybe ya oughta... Apologize, ya know, maybe offer him an encouragin' word or two. That'd help him out a lot, ya know."

Seifer just kept on walking as Fujin kicked Raijin in the shin, as usual. "RAGE," she said. "Ooooow, ya need a little somethin' for the temper, ya know?" Raijin said and was promptly kicked again. "Woah, Seifer, wait up! You're leavin' us behind, ya know?" Seifer simply ignored him and kept on walking. ("When Squall said Cid wanted to meet me at the orphanage... I wonder what it is? I mean, Cid's never wanted me for anything other than suspension that time when I casted a Meteor spell on Chicken-Wuss, and I beat Squall up in the Training Center...")

"Oh, by the way, add Chicken-Wuss and Leonhart to the list," Seifer said. "Seifer, Zell's been added 16 times and Squall's been added 7 times, ya know?"

"Add 'em again, then. It'll accumulate."

They kept on walking with no sense of where they were going. "...... I'm still hungry, ya know?" Raijin said. Silence followed. "Wherever we're goin', are we there yet?" This time Fujin kicked him yet again. "SILENCE. RAGE."

Seifer turned around. "Here we are," he said, "The Esthar National Airport." Raijin looked at Seifer as if he was crazy. " Why are we here, it can't be five o'clock, ya know?"

"Yes it can... See, it's sunset already. Hehe, we've been walking in circles for hours." Sure enough, bright red-orange beams of sunlight were streaking out toward Seifer, Fujin and Raijin. "Let's go!" The disciplinary comittee was back!

The odd trio marched into the airport, Raijin holding Fujin, who was feigning injury, and Seifer leading them. They ran on ahead, and Seifer yelled to the security guard, "My friend's injured! I think it was a Gayla outside of the city! Help!" The security guard rushed over, and as Raijin tripped him with his staff, he fell on top of Fujin. "RAGE," Fujin yelled. This was all going wrong. A mob of guards pounced on Seifer, Fujin, and Raijin as the man from the old cafe took advantage of the distraction and dashed toward an airplane, yelling, "Thanks, Seifer! I owe ya one! Hehehehehe!" That was the last thing Seifer heard before everything went black.

A black sandy floor of rusty steel plates, chains on steel walls, a thick steel door, no windows... Seifer's eyes widened as he jumped up with a shock. This was the D-District Prison! "Raijin! Fujin!" he yelled. Silence followed. He was alone in his cell. He just sat there, thinking... Suddenly, he heard some rummaging and a click, followed by a bored voice, "You're next..."

As he heard the door open and saw light filtering in, Seifer, even though he had a splitting headache and bruises on his back from being clubbed way too many times, dashed toward the door, tackling the man and getting out. Seifer saw two men dash away and pull the alarm. "Oh, _shit_. Hehe, I'll just have to break out, then!" Seifer reached for his gunblade. "Damn, its gone. And I ain't swattin' flies..." He spotted a cable attached to the railing at the edge of the circular passage, and jumped off, grabbing on to the cable. "Haha, so long!" he said as bullets flew left and right. ("This is what I went to Balamb Garden for... This is what I became the Sorceress's Knight for... Battle! Now if I recall correctly, the weapons cache is on the bottom, and there's some fine sand to land on... Here goes nothing!")

Seifer let go of the cable he was swinging on, and as he fell, formed his hand into a gun shape and started 'shooting' as he laughed hysterically. Finally he landed flat on his feet and ran to the weapons cache. He tried to open the door, whispering to himself, "Damn! It's locked."

"SEIFER. WE HELP," Fujin said as Seifer turned around. She, along with Raijin, had stolen the key to the weapons cache. "Heh, thanks, though I could've done it myself."

They went into the cache and searched around for their weapons. "Ha! Here's my Hyperion! Come on, you Galbadian cowards! Show me whatcha got!" Seifer said as he dashed off, swinging his sword while Fujin and Raijin continued to look for their things. Three soldiers that were patrolling the second floor ran into Seifer swinging his sword. They readied their guns as Seifer blew them away with a Fire spell and yelled, "No Mercy!" as he slaughtered them. One got back up and tried to guard, but Seifer knocked his sword back with a flick of his own and shot him. Suddenly, sparks danced around Seifer as he heard gunfire from above amidst the chaos of red flashing lights and loud, blaring alarms, and Seifer ran into a stairwell only to meet two soldiers in the cramped area. He slashed one, wounding him, as he dodged a stab from the other. The wounded one swung his blade and caught Seifer's left arm, and his eyes flared red for a moment as he went on a rampage, hacking and slashing his way through the pair. Fujin and Raijin caugt up with him as he kneeled down, checking the minor wound. "This ain't gonna stop me. I'm gonna get outta here and kill every damned Galbadian that gets in my way."

"Uh, Seifer? The exit's at the top, ya know?" Raijin pointed out.

"Hehe, all the better for me," Seifer replied, with Death in his eyes, "Like I said, I'm gonna kill every Galbadian that gets in my way!"

Suddenly, a grating sound like sand against steel and the screeching of rusty plates came from behind them. The elevator was lowered, along with eleven Galbadian soldiers. Seifer heard ahead of him, what sounded like dozens of footsteps, and above him, there was gunfire. "Hey," Seifer said, his eyes meeting Fujin and Raijin's, "if we're goin' to hell here, I for one don't wanna go alone. But, I ain't plannin' on goin' to hell here! Let's give this everything we've got!"

Seifer dashed out to meet the Galbadians on the elevator while Fujin and Raijin stayed back to prevent the men coming down the stairs. Shooting upward at random, he felled a few soldiers above before the elevator doors opened. When they did, Seifer shot a quick Fire spell, knocking the men in front backwards into those behind them, and Seifer charged in. A man shouted into a radio, "Close the door and pull it back up," but it was too late. When the door closed, Seifer was already in there, slashing randomly, not caring what he hit. It was over too soon.

Seifer looked out the window. Not too far below him, Raijin was fighting soldiers away from an injured Fujin, while others were charging from behind. Seifer dove out of the elevator, and arrived just in time to intersept to soldiers bearing down on Fujin. He cut or shot down every one where they stood. Now that there were no more Galbadians around Seifer, the men above started firing again. Seifer yelled, "Fujin, Raijin, you hide in a stairwell. I'll deal with those bastards up there."

Seifer ran up frantically, when he spotted the cable he fell from. He jumped onto it and started swinging. He knew he was taking a risk in the open, yet he was not shot. He swung high enough to reach the floor below the gunmen and started running upward. When he reached the top of the stairs, he counted, "Six bullets left for seven guys, dammit. Here goes nothin'!"

He hid near the top of the stairs, peeking through a rail. He shot a bullet. One down. The men turned toward the source of the shot. _BAM!_ Another down. They began to ran toward Seifer. He shot four more times hurriedly, and got two, wounding another. That left two fit to fight. He ran from his cover, shooting a couple of Fire spells to distract the men, and cut them down, along with the wounded one.

He glanced below and saw Fujin and Raijin looking upward. Seifer gave a thumbs-up and they ran from their cover. As they met, Raijin said, "Fujin's hurt. I think it was a gunshot to the shoulder, but she'll be fine after a little rest, ya know?" Seifer replied, "We don't have time to rest. Look below!" Galbadian soldiers were rushing out from barracks below and heading upward rapidly. "They'll catch up to us whether or not we run, but let's get closer to the top before the battle. Or, well... I'm gettin' a little bored with these pushovers... Come! Leviathan!"

A dull gray-green aura, like that of a stormy sea, surrounded Seifer. He shut his eyes, focusing, as he attempted a 'link' with the GF. When a GF is summoned, the user must link to it in order to summon it from the ancestral realm of Selvaka, home of the gods. Seifer did so quite quickly, and the scent of salt water soon filled the air as a massive sea snake appeared before the Galbadians. It was truly indomitable, a long coiling sea snake, turquoise scales glistening almost threateningly, a pair of scaled, jagged wings, and its sleek head and fanged mouth. Down to its fierce yellow eyes, it truly appeared to be the Lord of the Sea. Remaining stationary, it summoned a massive blue-green tidal wave from behind it, with water rushing through corridors and winding its way through stairwells. The Galbadian soldiers dropped their swords and ran, but were quickly overtaken. It was an overwhelming maelstrom of water, tearing at the soldiers like they were a rag doll in the mouth of a dog, that took their lives. Even after Leviathan vanished, the scent of sea bream lingered, a reminder to the guards above who commanded the soldiers to chase Seifer.

"Let's go," Seifer said spontaneously.

They continued upward slowly, as Raijin was supporting Fujin's hurt side. Soon enough they reached the top floor, but they were stopped short of the exit. The three fell down silently as three wardens stood behind them with crossed arms, smiling humorlessly.

The first thing that Seifer saw was an orange tiger-like face. "Meow!" it yelled. Seifer was convinced that he was dreaming. "What the hell..?" he muttered through clenched teeth and a splitting headache. The throbbing pain didn't cease. He slowly got up, stretching and pinching himself vainly in hopes of waking up. He realized that this wasn't a dream, and sleepily muttered, "Where am I? How'd I get here?"

A simple response came. "Laguna!"

The other Moombas around began to jump, huge blazing orange paws waving. "Laguna! Laguna!"

Seifer observed his surroundings. There was a grassy plain surrounding him. To the west he saw a city in the cool, dying twilight. It was brightly coloured with flashing neon signs and bustling with traffic flowing in and out smoothly. Suddenly, Seifer observed fireworks exploding in the cool winter breeze. He looked down, averting his eyes from the pink neon and flashing lights that strengthened the vicious headache when he saw a note on the ground. He snatched it and read, "Seifer, we left for Deling City to get things for our heads. We'll be back by 3 P.M.. Raijin"

As the last strands of twilight faded, Seifer knew that it was well past 3...

"Hey, Moombas, go back to where you came from. I'm goin' to the city. Fujin an' Raijin're probably just drunk... Heh."

Seifer, with one hand on his gunblade, set off for Deling City, knowing that something was wrong... Something had happened to Fujin and Raijin.

This chapter was somewhat... Sporadic; Spontaneous... All the same, thank you for reading this and please review. Chapter 3 will have a big battle in it, but that'll be the last one for a little while, I think...


End file.
